Ansar Al-Islam

Ansar Al-Islam: Iraq's Al-Qaeda
Connection

By Jonathan Schanzer

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy | January 17, 2003
From: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=5571

Ansar al-Islam, an al-Qaeda affiliate active in Iraqi Kurdistan
since September 2001, is a prototype of America's enemies in
the "war on terror." The group serves as a testament
to the global spread of al-Qaeda affiliates, achieved through
exploitation of weak central authorities and a utilitarian willingness
to work with seemingly differing ideologies for a common cause.
Lengthy reports on Ansar have appeared in the New York Times,
Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and Kurdish leaders have
given Washington a plethora of intelligence on the group. Nevertheless,
Ansar has yet to appear on official U.S. terrorism lists. Meanwhile,
political complexities would make military action against the
group difficult, at best. Hence, this small force of 650 fighters
is a textbook example of the ongoing challenges posed by the
war on terror.

Northern Iraq's al-Qaeda

In August 2001, leaders of several Kurdish Islamist factions reportedly
visited the al-Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan with the goal of
creating an alternate base for the organization in northern Iraq.
Their intentions were echoed in a document found in an al-Qaeda
guest house in Afghanistan vowing to "expel those Jews and
Christians from Kurdistan and join the way of Jihad, [and] rule
every piece of land . . . with the Islamic Shari'a rule." Soon
thereafter, Ansar al-Islam was created using $300,000 to $600,000
in al-Qaeda seed money, in addition to funds from Saudi Arabia.

Today, Ansar operates in fortified mountain positions along the
Iran-Iraq border known as "Little Tora Bora" (after the
Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan). There, the group's Kurdish,
Iraqi, Lebanese, Jordanian, Moroccan, Syrian, Palestinian, and
Afghan members train in a wide array of guerrilla tactics. Approximately
30 al-Qaeda members reportedly joined Ansar upon the group's inception
in 2001; that number is now as high as 120. Armed with heavy machine
guns, mortars, and antiaircraft weaponry, the group fulfills al-Qaeda
lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri's vision of a global jihad. Ansar's
goal is to disrupt civil society and create a Taliban-like regime
in northern Iraq. To that end, it has already banned music, alcohol,
photographs, and advertising in its stronghold. Girls are prevented
from studying; men must grow beards and pray five times daily.

Activities since 2001

Ansar first made headlines in September 2001 when it ambushed
and killed forty-two Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) fighters.
In February 2002, the group assassinated Franso Hariri, a Kurdish
Christian politician. That spring, Ansar attempted to murder Barham
Salih, a PUK leader; five bodyguards and two attackers were killed
in the ensuing gunfight. In June, the group bombed a Kurdish restaurant,
injuring scores and killing a child. In July, the group killed
nine PUK fighters, and destroyed several Sufi shrines -- a move
reminiscent of the Taliban. In September, Dutch authorities arrested
the group's leader, Najmuddin Faraj (a.k.a. Mullah Krekar), for
suspected ties to al-Qaeda. In December, Ansar launched a surprise
attack after the PUK sent 1,500 soldiers home to celebrate the
end of Ramadan. According to the group's website, they killed 103
PUK fighters and wounded 117.

That same month, Jordan's prime minister announced that al-Qaeda
operative Fazel Inzal al-Khalayleh (a.k.a. Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi)
had sought refuge with Ansar. Khalayleh had ordered the spring
2002 attack on Salih as well as the October 2002 murder of U.S.
Agency for International Development officer Laurence Foley in
Amman. Khalayleh's deputy, Nur ad-Din ash-Shami (a.k.a. Abu Abdullah),
was killed in a battle with Kurdish fighters less than two weeks
ago. Currently, more than thirty Ansar militants (about twenty
of whom are Arab) are incarcerated in Sulaymaniyah. Their testimony
has provided clues about the group's ties to Saddam Husayn, al-Qaeda,
Iran, and weapons of mass destruction.

Chemical Weapons

Some Bush administration and PUK officials claim that Ansar has
established chemical weapons facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan. Reports
allege that Baghdad helped to smuggle these weapons from Afghanistan
and that Ansar has tested substances such as cyanide gas and the
poison Ricin. Salih has cited "clear evidence" that such
tests have been performed on animals. Moreover, the Washington
Post reported that the group smuggled VX nerve gas through Turkey
in fall 2001.

Links to Saddam

Bush administration and PUK officials have also speculated that
Ansar may be working with Saddam through a man named Abu Wa'il,
reportedly an al-Qaeda operative on Saddam's payroll. Kurdish explosives
experts also claim that TNT seized from Ansar was produced by the
Iraqi military, and that arms are sent to the group from areas
controlled by Saddam. Iraqi officials deny all such ties, yet Saddam
clearly profits from Ansar's activities, which keep Kurdish opposition
forces tied up on the border and away from Saddam. Indeed, support
for Ansar is not unlike the money Saddam gives to families of Palestinian
suicide bombers; turning up the heat in Kurdistan and the Palestinian
territories takes heat off Saddam as a crisis looms.

Currently, Kurdish and international sources are accumulating
evidence they say could soon present a clearer picture of Saddam's
cooperation with al-Qaeda.

Links to Iran

Iran supports Ansar by allowing it to operate along its borders.
Iran may also provide logistical support by permitting the flow
of goods and weapons and providing a safe area beyond the front.
The Turkish daily Milliyet has noted that Ansar militants check
cars leaving their stronghold en route to Iran, indicating coordination
with the Islamic republic. Moreover, the recently apprehended Mullah
Krekar spent many years in Iran and was arrested in Amsterdam after
a flight from Tehran.

Iran has several possible reasons for supporting Ansar. For one,
having a democratic proto-state on its borders threatens the very
nature of the Islamic republic. Thus, continued guerrilla activity
benefits Tehran, as does any movement designed to spread Islamism
in Kurdistan. Furthermore, by supporting Ansar and other Islamist
groups in Iraq, Tehran may attempt to gain influence among the
various factions that could contribute to a new Iraqi government
if Saddam's regime is overthrown.

Implications

More than one year after Ansar announced its formation, the State
Department has yet to designate it a Foreign Terrorist Organization,
nor has the Treasury Department listed it as a Special Designated
Global Terrorist. It would be interesting to know why. Other questions
remain: Can Washington pressure Iran to cease cooperation with
Ansar? Can it persuade Norway, where Mullah Krekar lived for several
years, to examine his financial accounts? Can it verify ties between
al-Qaeda and Saddam based on interviews with captured Ansar militants?

If such links are established, military force should be considered.
Reports from the front indicate that Ansar could not withstand
an aerial assault. Yet, Washington may be reticent to attack during
this period of UN inspections for fear of international rebuke,
particularly from Turkey. Ankara, already ambivalent about an Iraq
war, may be sensitive to any measures that would potentially strengthen
the Kurds. Still, Ansar al-Islam poses a threat to any future U.S.
ground deployment. Moreover, dismantling the group would potentially
weaken both Saddam and al-Qaeda -- two primary targets in the war
on terror.